Seven proposed changes to the Riverside city charter will appear on the June 5 ballot, after the City Council voted Tuesday to send all but one of a special committee’s recommendations to the electorate.

The charter, which is the city’s constitution, lays out how the city is run and describes the powers and duties of its officials. It includes a provision that it be reviewed for potential changes every eight years, and any changes require voter approval. Tuesday’s eight proposals came recommended by a supermajority of a council-appointed committee that met for months and took input from city officials and residents.

Power and perception were the dominant themes of the council’s discussion, with two changes relating to the power of the city manager, and the two most-debated proposals being linked to people’s perception of the city.

After nearly two hours of discussion, the council chose to let voters decide on an amendment that would change whom the city’s internal auditor reports to. Currently, the internal auditor is overseen by the city manager; if voters approve the change, that position would be a charter officer reporting to the council.

The proposal for an auditor who reports to the council was brought up at every meeting of the charter committee, said Tom Evans, who chaired the group.

Councilman Mike Gardner said the language of the proposal lets the council choose the auditor and set tasks for that person, so it doesn’t necessarily mean a departure from how auditing is done now.

“While all of us feel comfortable that we are doing things correctly and we have the right checks and balances … there’s a pretty significant portion of the public that does not believe that and this is a step toward addressing that and opening things up a little bit,” Gardner said.

The auditor decision was a 5-2 split with councilmen Chris Mac Arthur and Steve Adams dissenting. Both said they were concerned the move would create more costs the city can’t afford, and Adams heartily defended the city’s current set-up, saying the system is already transparent.

In a unanimous vote, the council opted to send to the ballot a proposed sustainability commission, described as a think tank on how to make the city friendlier to the environment and business. The commission would be an advisory board and would not supersede the authority of boards with legislative powers such as the planning commission. If voters approve the creation of the commission, the council would set its duties by ordinance.

Some business interests opposed the change, and Mac Arthur asked if it might create a perception of excessive regulation that would drive business away. But other council members said they think having a sustainability commission helps further Riverside’s leadership on environmental issues and commitment to residents’ quality of life, messages they want to send to the world.

“That’s what this goes to the core of, making our community even more attractive and even more economically viable,” said Bob Stockton, a resident who helped spearhead the proposal.

Two other measures would limit the city manager’s power. The council supported sending to voters one that says the city clerk and city attorney, also direct council appointees, have sole authority over their employees. Previously the city manager could weigh in on their personnel decisions.

The council rejected a measure to give the public utilities board say in the suspension or firing of the general manager of the utilities department. Currently the board must approve the general manager’s hiring, but the city manager has discretion over suspension or firing.

“Most of what the charter review committee came up with, I think, were good ideas. This one wasn’t,” Gardner said. “If we want to emasculate the city manager, then we should do that in the charter and change our form of government from a council/manager form of government.”

Charter changes

Riverside City Council members agreed to put seven proposed changes to the charter on the June ballot. Only city voters can change the charter, the city’s governing document. Here are the proposals:

Making the city’s internal auditor report to the council instead of the city manager

Creating a sustainability commission to advise the council on environmental and economic development issues

Hold council runoffs following June elections in late August rather than November

Removing the city manager’s authority over the staff of other charter officers, which are currently the city clerk and city attorney

Removing a requirement that public works bid opportunities be advertised in print

Removing old language that makes the parks commission responsible for street trees

Cleanup of language in various sections to change old job titles, update how city documents can be distributed, and other modifications

Alicia Robinson covers Anaheim for The Orange County Register. She previously spent 10 years at The Press-Enterprise writing about Riverside and local government as well as Norco, Corona, homeless issues, Alzheimer's disease, streetcars, butterflies, horses and chickens. She grew up in the Midwest but earned Southern California native status during many hours spent in traffic. Two big questions Alicia tries to answer in stories about government are: how is it supposed to work, and how is it working?